Gas-liquid separation system

Abstract

The utility model provides a gas-liquid separation system. The gas-liquid separation system comprises: a main condensation tank having a high-pressure gas inlet, a high-pressure gas outlet and a liquid outlet, wherein a main liquid level sensing device is mounted in the main condensation tank; a main drain valve disposed on a main drain pipe connected to the liquid outlet and controlled by a detection signal from the main liquid level sensing device; the auxiliary condensation tank is provided with an auxiliary inlet and an auxiliary outlet, an auxiliary liquid level sensing device is installed in the auxiliary condensation tank, and the auxiliary inlet is connected to the liquid outlet of the main condensation tank through a main liquid discharge pipe; the auxiliary drain valve is arranged on an auxiliary liquid drain pipe connected with the auxiliary outlet and is controlled by a detection signal from the auxiliary liquid level sensing device; and the liquid discharge pump is arranged at the downstream of the auxiliary discharge valve on the auxiliary liquid discharge pipe and is used for discharging liquid in the auxiliary condensation tank. According to the gas-liquid separation system disclosed by the utility model, one or more auxiliary condensation tanks are additionally arranged, and the risk of explosion possibly caused by high-pressure gas leakage is eliminated by firstly releasing pressure and then discharging liquid.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The utility model relates to a separation device, in particular to a gas-liquid separation system for compressed gas. Background Art

[0002] Condensate tanks are commonly used to separate compressed gas from liquid to ensure the purity and stability of the supplied compressed gas and the safe operation of the system. Condensate tanks are typically equipped with liquid level control devices and drain devices to ensure the safe discharge of condensate and prevent the formation of explosive mixtures.

[0003] The condensate tank has a drain valve that opens when the liquid level is high and closes when the liquid level is low. However, in practical applications, such as when the condensate tank is connected to a hydrogen compressor, due to the high pressure inside the condensate tank, when the drain valve opens, liquid water may be ejected along with the hydrogen. This creates a high risk of explosion when a drain pump is used to drain the water into the drain pipe. The leakage of flammable gases and sudden changes in tank pressure are also potential factors that may lead to explosion risks.

[0004] Therefore, there is a need in the art for a solution to improve the efficiency of a gas-liquid separation system for compressed gas while ensuring safety. Utility Model Content

[0005] The technical problem to be solved by the utility model is to eliminate the risk of explosion in the discharge pipe.

[0006] To solve the above technical problems, the present invention provides a gas-liquid separation system. The gas-liquid separation system includes: a main condenser having a high-pressure gas inlet, a high-pressure gas outlet, and a liquid outlet, and a main liquid level sensing device installed in the main condenser; a main discharge valve disposed on a main drain pipe connected to the liquid outlet and controlled by a detection signal from the main liquid level sensing device; an auxiliary condenser having an auxiliary inlet and an auxiliary outlet, and an auxiliary liquid level sensing device installed in the auxiliary condenser, wherein the auxiliary inlet is connected to the liquid outlet of the main condenser via the main drain pipe; an auxiliary discharge valve disposed on an auxiliary drain pipe connected to the auxiliary outlet and controlled by a detection signal from the auxiliary liquid level sensing device; and a discharge pump disposed on the auxiliary drain pipe downstream of the auxiliary discharge valve for discharging liquid from the auxiliary condenser.

[0007] According to a preferred embodiment of the present utility model, the main liquid level sensing device includes a main high liquid level sensor and a main low liquid level sensor, the detection signal of the main high liquid level sensor is used to open the main discharge valve, and the detection signal of the main low liquid level sensor is used to close the main discharge valve.

[0008] According to a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the auxiliary condensing tank includes a pressure release device for controlling the pressure in the auxiliary condensing tank.

[0009] According to a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the pressure control device is a pressure relief valve, which is used to open and close according to a preset value of the pressure in the auxiliary condensing tank to control the pressure in the auxiliary condensing tank to be lower than the preset value.

[0010] According to a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the auxiliary liquid level sensing device includes an auxiliary high liquid level sensor and an auxiliary low liquid level sensor. The detection signal of the auxiliary high liquid level sensor is used to open the auxiliary discharge valve, and the detection signal of the auxiliary low liquid level sensor is used to close the auxiliary discharge valve.

[0011] According to a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the number of the auxiliary condensation tank is one.

[0012] According to a preferred embodiment of the present invention, there are multiple auxiliary condensation tanks, wherein the auxiliary outlet of one auxiliary condensation tank is connected to the auxiliary inlet of the next auxiliary condensation tank through an auxiliary drain pipe, so that the multiple auxiliary condensation tanks are connected to each other in series.

[0013] According to a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the drainage pump is connected to the downstream of the auxiliary discharge valve on the auxiliary drainage pipe of the last auxiliary condensation tank.

[0014] According to a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the high-pressure gas inlet receives high-pressure combustible gas from a gas compressor.

[0015] According to a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the high-pressure combustible gas is hydrogen or natural gas.

[0016] By adopting the technical solution of the utility model, one or more auxiliary condensing tanks are added to the gas-liquid separation system, and the risk of explosion caused by high-pressure gas leakage is eliminated by releasing the pressure first and then discharging the liquid. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0017] In order to enable those skilled in the art to more fully understand the present invention, the specific implementation of the present invention will be described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0018] Figure 1 is a schematic diagram of a condensation tank in the prior art; and

[0019] Figure 2 It is a schematic diagram of the gas-liquid separation system of the present utility model. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0020] To make the present invention clearer, a specific embodiment of the present invention is described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings, but the present invention is not limited to this embodiment.

[0021] First, combine Figure 1 A gas-liquid separation system in the prior art is described below. The gas-liquid separation system is, for example, a main condenser 1 for a hydrogen compressor. Figure 1 The figure is a schematic diagram of the structure of the main condenser 1. The main condenser 1 includes a high-pressure gas inlet 11, a high-pressure gas outlet 12, and a liquid outlet 13. The high-pressure gas inlet 11 receives compressed gas from a gas compressor. The gas compressor is, for example, a hydrogen compressor. The compressed gas is, for example, high-pressure hydrogen. The high-pressure gas outlet 12 is used to discharge the dry high-pressure gas after gas-liquid separation in the main condenser 1. The dry high-pressure gas is, for example, dry hydrogen. For example, hydrogen produces condensed water during the gas-liquid separation process in the main condenser 1. The liquid outlet 13 is used to discharge the liquid produced in the main condenser 1. The liquid is, for example, water.

[0022] The various parameters (such as humidity) of the dry gas discharged through the high-pressure gas outlet 12 will meet the use requirements of subsequent equipment and enter subsequent applications, such as being stored or transported to a fuel cell stack.

[0023] The main drain pipe is connected to the liquid outlet 13 of the main condensation tank 1 , and a main discharge valve 14 is provided on the main drain pipe for opening and closing as needed.

[0024] A main liquid level sensing device is also provided in the main condensate tank 1 for sensing the liquid level of the accumulated liquid in the main condensate tank 1. The main liquid level sensing device is connected to the main discharge valve 14 by signal and controls the opening and closing of the main discharge valve 14 according to the liquid level detection signal. The main liquid level sensing device generally includes a main high liquid level sensor 15 and a main low liquid level sensor 16. When the liquid level of the accumulated liquid in the main condensate tank 1 is sensed by the main high liquid level sensor 15, the detection signal of the main high liquid level sensor is used to open the main discharge valve 14 to enable the discharge of liquid through the downstream discharge pump ( Figure 1 The main condensate tank 1 is drained of accumulated liquid by a main low liquid level sensor 16 (not shown). When the accumulated liquid is sensed by the main low liquid level sensor 16, the detection signal of the main low liquid level sensor 16 is used to close the main drain valve 14. As a result, a certain liquid level always remains in the main condensate tank 1, thereby forming a liquid seal in the main drain pipe.

[0025] Since the compressed gas in the main condenser 1 is under high pressure, during the process of discharging the liquid, the high pressure will cause the gas in the main condenser 1 to enter the main drain pipe, which will not only lead to the loss of compressed gas (such as hydrogen), but may also form an explosive mixed gas in the main drain pipe, causing a safety accident.

[0026] In order to eliminate the potential risk of explosion as much as possible, the inventors of this application designed a gas-liquid separation system. According to the inventive concept of this utility model, the inventors designed a safe and efficient liquid discharge method to avoid the potential risk of explosion caused by gas leakage and sudden pressure drop.

[0027] According to the inventive concept of the present utility model, another condenser, namely, auxiliary condenser 2, is added to the main drain pipe of the main condenser 1. The auxiliary condenser 2 has substantially the same structure as the main condenser 1. A pressure control device is also provided on the auxiliary condenser 2 to control the gas pressure within the auxiliary condenser 2. Based on this inventive concept, high-pressure gas is first discharged from the high-pressure condenser into the low-pressure condenser to release the pressure, and then the liquid is discharged. The detection signal of the auxiliary low liquid level sensor is used to control the closing of the auxiliary discharge valve. This ensures that liquid is always present in the main and auxiliary drain pipes, forming at least two liquid seals, thereby eliminating the risk of explosion caused by gas leakage when liquid is discharged into the drain pipe.

[0028] The following will be combined Figure 2 A specific embodiment of the technical concept of the present invention is described in detail, wherein Figure 2 The following is a schematic diagram of the structure of a gas-liquid separation system according to the present invention. As shown, the gas-liquid separation system comprises a primary condenser 1 and an auxiliary condenser 2. The structure of the primary condenser 1 is as previously described and, for the sake of clarity, will not be further elaborated here. The auxiliary condenser 2 does not utilize its high-pressure gas outlet or is not provided with one. Otherwise, the structure of the auxiliary condenser 2 is essentially the same as that of the primary condenser 1.

[0029] like Figure 2 As shown, a gas-liquid separation system of the present application includes a main condenser 1, a main discharge valve 14, an auxiliary condenser 2, an auxiliary discharge valve 24, and a drainage pump 27. The main condenser 1 has a high-pressure gas inlet 11, a high-pressure gas outlet 12, and a liquid outlet 13, and is equipped with a main liquid level sensing device. The auxiliary condenser 2 has an auxiliary inlet 21 and an auxiliary outlet 23, and is equipped with an auxiliary liquid level sensing device. The auxiliary inlet 21 is connected to the liquid outlet 13 of the main condenser 1 via a main drainage pipe. The main discharge valve 14 is disposed on the main drainage pipe and is opened and closed by a detection signal from the main liquid level sensing device in the main condenser 1. The auxiliary discharge valve 24 is disposed on the auxiliary drainage pipe connected to the auxiliary outlet 23 and is opened and closed by a detection signal from the auxiliary liquid level sensing device in the auxiliary condenser 2. A drainage pump 27 is disposed on the auxiliary drainage pipe downstream of the auxiliary discharge valve 24 to drain liquid from the auxiliary condenser 2.

[0030] The auxiliary condensate tank 2 is connected downstream of the main discharge valve 14 of the main condensate tank 1. Specifically, the auxiliary inlet 21 of the auxiliary condensate tank 2 is connected to the liquid outlet 13 of the main condensate tank 1 via a main discharge pipe. In other words, the main condensate tank 1 and the auxiliary condensate tank 2 are connected in series via the main discharge pipe. Auxiliary discharge valve 24 and a discharge pump 27 are connected in sequence downstream of the auxiliary outlet 23 of the auxiliary condensate tank 2. Like the main condensate tank 1, the auxiliary condensate tank 2 is also equipped with an auxiliary liquid level sensing device for sensing the liquid level accumulated in the auxiliary condensate tank 2 and controlling the opening and closing of the auxiliary discharge valve 24 based on the detection signal.

[0031] The auxiliary condenser tank 2 is also equipped with a pressure control device 22 for controlling pressure. The pressure control device 22 can be, for example, a pressure relief valve. This pressure relief valve opens and closes based on a preset pressure value within the auxiliary condenser tank 24 to keep the pressure within the auxiliary condenser tank 24 below the preset value. Specifically, when the pressure within the auxiliary condenser tank 24 exceeds the preset value, the pressure relief valve opens to release the pressure within the auxiliary condenser tank 24, protecting it from damage. Optionally, a signal or indication can be emitted when the pressure relief valve opens to release pressure, notifying personnel. Once the pressure drops below the preset value, the pressure relief valve closes. According to the technical solution of the present invention, the addition of a low-pressure auxiliary condenser tank 2 downstream of the high-pressure main condenser tank 1 allows liquid to be discharged from the high-pressure main condenser tank 1 first into the low-pressure auxiliary condenser tank 2 before being discharged through the drain valve 27. This intermediate pressure relief device prolongs the draining process, significantly eliminating the risk of explosion caused by high-pressure gas leakage during the draining process.

[0032] As described above, the main liquid level sensing device may include a main high liquid level sensor 15 and a main low liquid level sensor 16, which respectively open and close the main drain valve 14 based on their detection signals. When the main low liquid level sensor 16 senses that the liquid level in the main condenser tank 1 has reached its sensed level, it controls the closure of the main drain valve 14 based on its detection signal. This ensures that a certain level of liquid is always maintained in the main condenser tank 1. This liquid, together with the liquid in the main drain pipe, forms a liquid seal for the main condenser tank 1. This liquid seal prevents leakage of high-pressure gas in the main condenser tank 1.

[0033] Similarly, the auxiliary liquid level sensing device also includes an auxiliary high liquid level sensor 25 and an auxiliary low liquid level sensor 26, which are in signal communication with the auxiliary drain valve 24. When the auxiliary high liquid level sensor 25 senses that the liquid level in the auxiliary condenser tank 2 has reached its target level, it uses its detection signal to control the opening of the auxiliary drain valve 24, allowing the liquid in the auxiliary condenser tank 2 to be released via the drain pump 27. When the auxiliary low liquid level sensor 26 senses that the liquid level in the auxiliary condenser tank 2 has reached its target level, it uses its detection signal to control the closing of the auxiliary drain valve 24. This ensures that a certain level of liquid is always retained in the auxiliary condenser tank 2. This retained liquid, together with the liquid in the auxiliary drain pipe, forms a liquid seal for the auxiliary condenser tank 2. This gas-liquid separation system thus achieves at least a two-stage liquid seal, further enhancing system safety.

[0034] According to a preferred embodiment, the auxiliary condensing tank 2 further includes a pressure control device for controlling the pressure in the auxiliary condensing tank 2. For example, the pressure control device is an exhaust pipe or a pressure regulating valve, which directly connects the pressure in the auxiliary condensing tank 2 to atmospheric pressure or controls the pressure in the auxiliary condensing tank 2 below a certain pressure according to system requirements.

[0035] Optionally, the number of auxiliary condensation tanks 2 is not limited to one as shown in the figure. There can be multiple auxiliary condensation tanks 2. If a suitable pressure drop can be achieved with one auxiliary condensation tank 2, the pressure control device can be an exhaust pipe to adjust the air pressure in the auxiliary condensation tank 2 to atmospheric pressure.

[0036] Alternatively, if the pressure in the main condenser tank 1 is very high, relieving the pressure through only one auxiliary condenser tank 2 may not be sufficient. Therefore, the number of auxiliary condenser tanks 2 can be multiple. Specifically, the auxiliary drain pipe of one auxiliary condenser tank 2 is connected to the auxiliary inlet of the next auxiliary condenser tank 2, so that multiple auxiliary condenser tanks 2 are connected in series to reduce the pressure step by step. In this case, an auxiliary discharge valve 24 is provided on the auxiliary discharge pipe between every two adjacent auxiliary condenser tanks 2. A discharge pump 27 is connected to the auxiliary discharge pipe of the last auxiliary condenser tank 2, downstream of the auxiliary discharge valve 24, to ultimately discharge the liquid in the system.

[0037] According to the technical solution of the present invention, multiple auxiliary condenser tanks connected in series can gradually relieve the pressure of the high-pressure main condenser tank, reducing the safety accidents caused by rapid pressure relief and gas leakage, thereby ensuring the safety of the gas-liquid separation system and, therefore, the safety of the device using the gas-liquid separation system. In addition, because the gas-liquid separation system has more than one auxiliary condenser tank, it can form more than one liquid seal, further reducing the possibility of high-pressure gas leakage, thereby ensuring the safe operation of the system.

[0038] Preferably, the high-pressure gas inlet receives high-pressure gas from a gas compressor. The gas compressor is, for example, a hydrogen compressor. The high-pressure gas is, for example, a combustible gas, such as hydrogen or natural gas. If the condenser is connected to the hydrogen compressor, the liquid discharged by the liquid discharge pump is water. If the compressed gas is natural gas, the discharged liquid contains hydrocarbons and other impurities.

[0039] The gas-liquid separation system of the present invention can be applied to any scenario requiring gas-liquid separation of high-pressure gas. It can preferably be applied to any piston compressor using flammable gases such as hydrogen and natural gas to improve gas-liquid separation efficiency and ensure system safety.

[0040] The gas-liquid separation system of the present invention adds one or more auxiliary condensing tanks, a pressure relief device, and a liquid seal segment, thereby ensuring that compressed gas leakage is reduced during the discharge process, eliminating the potential risk of explosion, and thus ensuring the safety performance of the system.

[0041] The above specific embodiments are intended only to illustrate the present invention and are not intended to limit the present invention. Those skilled in the art may make various modifications and variations without departing from the inventive concept of the present invention. Therefore, all equivalent technical solutions fall within the scope of protection of the present invention, and the scope of protection of the present invention is defined by the accompanying claims.

Claims

1. A gas-liquid separation system, characterized in that: The gas-liquid separation system comprises: A main condensing tank (1) having a high-pressure gas inlet (11), a high-pressure gas outlet (12) and a liquid outlet (13), and a main liquid level sensing device is installed in the main condensing tank (1); a main discharge valve (14) provided on a main discharge pipe connected to the liquid outlet (13) and controlled by a detection signal from the main liquid level sensing device; an auxiliary condensing tank (2), which has an auxiliary inlet (21) and an auxiliary outlet (23), and an auxiliary liquid level sensing device is installed in the auxiliary condensing tank (2), wherein the auxiliary inlet (21) is connected to the liquid outlet (13) of the main condensing tank (1) through a main drain pipe; an auxiliary discharge valve (24), which is provided on an auxiliary liquid discharge pipe connected to the auxiliary outlet (23) and is controlled by a detection signal from the auxiliary liquid level sensing device; and A liquid discharge pump (27) is provided downstream of the auxiliary discharge valve (24) on the auxiliary liquid discharge pipe and is used for discharging liquid in the auxiliary condensation tank (2).

2. The gas-liquid separation system according to claim 1, characterized in that: The main liquid level sensing device comprises a main high liquid level sensor (15) and a main low liquid level sensor (16). The detection signal of the main high liquid level sensor (15) is used to open the main discharge valve (14), and the detection signal of the main low liquid level sensor (16) is used to close the main discharge valve (14).

3. The gas-liquid separation system according to claim 1, characterized in that: The auxiliary condensation tank (2) comprises a pressure control device (22) for controlling the pressure in the auxiliary condensation tank (2).

4. The gas-liquid separation system according to claim 3, characterized in that: The pressure control device (22) is a pressure relief valve, which is used to open and close according to a preset value of the pressure in the auxiliary condensing tank (2) to control the pressure in the auxiliary condensing tank (2) to be lower than the preset value.

5. The gas-liquid separation system according to claim 1, characterized in that: The auxiliary liquid level sensing device comprises an auxiliary high liquid level sensor (25) and an auxiliary low liquid level sensor (26), wherein the detection signal of the auxiliary high liquid level sensor (25) is used to open the auxiliary discharge valve (24), and the detection signal of the auxiliary low liquid level sensor (26) is used to close the auxiliary discharge valve (24).

6. The gas-liquid separation system according to any one of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that: The number of the auxiliary condensation tank (2) is one.

7. The gas-liquid separation system according to any one of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that: There are multiple auxiliary condensation tanks (2), wherein the auxiliary outlet (23) of one auxiliary condensation tank (2) is connected to the auxiliary inlet (21) of the next auxiliary condensation tank (2) through an auxiliary drain pipe, so that the multiple auxiliary condensation tanks (2) are connected to each other in series.

8. The gas-liquid separation system according to claim 7, characterized in that: The drainage pump (27) is connected to the downstream of the auxiliary discharge valve (24) on the auxiliary drainage pipe of the last auxiliary condensation tank (2).

9. The gas-liquid separation system according to any one of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that: The high-pressure gas inlet receives combustible gas from a gas compressor.

10. The gas-liquid separation system according to claim 9, characterized in that: The combustible gas is hydrogen or natural gas.

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